The aim of the study was to investigate the link between different communication patterns and psychological abuse among young adults romantic relationships. Specifically, the research was aimed at analyzing the direct relation between efficacious, avoidant, dismissive and manipulative communicative patterns and both reported victimized and perpetrated behaviors of psychological abuse within the couple. Participants were 557 young adults (211 males), aged between 18-30 years (M = 22.61; SD = 3.85), currently involved in a heterosexual romantic relationship of at least 6 months duration. Results showed that the most important predictors of perpetration and victimization reports of psychological abuse are the Dismissal and Manipulation communication patterns, whereas Avoidance is not a significant predictor of psychological abuse. Theoretical and social implications and directions for future research are identified.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with comorbid Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is associated to greater impairment than OCD alone. No research examined comorbid OCPD as a predictor of outcomes in resistant OCD. The current study investigated whether inpatients with resistant OCD and comorbid OCPD could benefit from an inpatient intensive CBT program (II-CBT). Fifty-six inpatients with resistant OCD were enrolled. Twenty had OCPD. Participants underwent a 5-week II-CBT including daily and prolonged ERP sessions. SCID-I and SCID-II were administered at baseline, Y-BOCS, and BDI-II at baseline and post-treatment. Treatment effects were large [unbiased Hedges’ g = 1.11]. An interaction effect emerged between baseline Y-BOCS scores and comorbid OCPD on outcomes (F = 4.05, p<.05). Inpatients with more severe Y-BOCS scores and comorbid OCPD had greater pre-posttreatment changes on Y-BOCS (B = .85, t = 2.01, p<.01), but not on BDI-II. II-CBT seemed to be a strategy tailored for inpatients with resistant OCD with comorbid OCPD. However, II-CBT did not seem to target comorbid depression.

The present study proposes a scale for assessing the self-efficacy (PSSE) of applicants in the personnel selection process and tests its measurement properties. This construct is very important not only to study the applicant’s reactions (i.e., Truxillo, Bauer & Sanchez, 2001), but also to carry out a program of career guidance (i.e., Shantz & Latham, 2012). Construct validity was examined and content validity, dimensionality, reliability and criterion-related validity were analyzed. The participants were 460 Italian adults. A group of expert judges considered that seven items had adequate content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original uni-dimensional model had the best fit; both internal consistency for reliability and convergent validity with other measures supported the quality of the psychometric properties. The results are discussed from the point of view of research and intervention.

Entrepreneurial career assessment tools appear to be essential for the promotion and development of entrepreneurship. The present study reports a contribution towards the validation of the Italian version of the Entrepreneurial Potential Assessment Inventory (EPAI) (Santos, Caetano & Curral, 2014). Construct, convergent and discriminant validity were assessed. Confirmatory Factorial Analysis and Multi-group Confirmatory Factorial Analysis using SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) were conducted in order to test the fit of the data obtained from two samples (entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs) with the original theoretical model. The results indicated that the Italian version of the EPAI could be used for practical and research purpose. Thus, the EPAI could be adopted in vocational guidance interventions and career consultancy services in Italy. Future research in Italy should refine the scale by revising, in particular, two sub-dimensions of psychological competencies: capacity of innovation and emotional intelligence. Limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.

The assessment of linguistic competence in sequential bilingualism is a research issue that remains unresolved. The goal of the present study was to assess the discriminating power of the Italian version of the ALDeQ (Alberta Language and Development Questionnaire; Paradis, Emmerzael & Sorenson Duncan, 2010). The adapted questionnaire was administered to the parents of 18 sequential bilingual children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and to 105 parents of children with Typical Language Development. The results obtained revealed considerable sensitivity and specificity indexes, particularly for the full scale score. Data from the present study suggest that the Italian version of ALDeQ is a reliable instrument to be used for assessing sequential bilingual children for whom clinicians and educators are in doubt of possible language impairments.